I only got to watch the first half of this one (flying to Orlando) and boy was it ugly. No A game tonight, more like a D. You can make lots of excuses about the back to back, the compressed schedule, his bruised sternum from the Hawks game, this and that, but Jeremy just had a horrible game. From the outset he had a little "deer in the headlights" look. The good thing is this was just like a quiz with the final coming in a few months during the playoffs. He has a lot of studying, learning, and hard work ahead. Where to start? First, valuing every possession, as those rips should never happen. He cannot have mental lapses bringing the ball up on small and quick defenders. Also, if teams are gonna pressure like that, Tyson needs to set the backcourt screen and take the guys head off. You have to make them pay.
Do not panic folks, Jeremy will be just fine. He was able to see up close the best defense in the NBA and two of the leagues best players. I am confident he will bounce back strong after the A-S break and use this as a great learning experience and continue to improve his game.
As for the Knicks as a team, they showed flashes of what they will be come playoff time. Jorts coming back is a great addition as he helps spread the floor even more. No one is going to want to play this team come playoff time. They will be dangerous.
Yeah, I'm not worried at all. Remember how bad Jeremy looked in against Sacramento a few weeks ago (falling down, fouling like crazy)? And we all know what happened after that.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, even veteran superstar PGs have awful games where they go 2-12 with more TOs than assists. Jeremy is basically a rookie, so it's gonna be even worse.
It was a perfect storm: bruising defense from a great team, a flukey bad shooting day and a lack of help from teammates. With all the attention Jeremy drew, guys like Anthony and Amare have to step up and hit their open shots. That didn't happen.
Also, he had only 2 TOs in the second half, so he was already learning from his early mistakes. And he still got to the line a bunch (6FTA) while adding 6 rebs and 3 steals.
DeleteHe only had 2 TO's but let's face it, he went passive for most of the half. He wasn't running the Knicks offense. He let the Heat get into his head, stopping his dribble a bunch of times and basically running away from the ball. Getting to the line was nice, even if the call against LeBron was questionable. Lin didn't look "right," though. Instead of passing it off to the open man, he reverted to his form with the Warriors last season and was only looking at the basket (and really, charging into guys) instead of making instinctive plays like had been doing so far this season. I'm sure he'll use this game as a learning experience, though. A game like this was bound to happen. Hopefully he works on his ball protection and handling pressure in these next few practices the Knicks have.
DeleteLet's also get him some ref help.
ReplyDeleteUneven officiating is the BANE of the NBA. It makes games against the superstars unwatchable.
A foul is a foul is a foul, whether it be Lin getting hacked or Lebron.
Jeremy doesn't need to become a crybaby like you.
DeleteOfficiating is what it is at any level. You've got to play through it and be stronger with the ball.
BS.
DeleteIf you think that officiating is even in the NBA, you're fooling only yourself.
I never said officiating was even anywhere. At any level, it typically favors the home team.
DeleteHonestly, it really hard to take you seriously.
Superstar calls favor superstars no matter what court they are on. It doesn't matter if it's homecourt or not. Even Magic Johnson,Charles Barkley, and Michael Jordan have acknowledged this. Why can't you?
DeleteTeams or players with defensive "reputations" like the Heat and Celtics are allowed to hack more than other teams are. Even the role players are given more leeway.
NBA refs are learning Jeremy Lin. Over time, he'll get more calls in his favor. Many of the missed inside shots and turnovers will become fouls without Lin changing anything.
Jeremy finally played an elite team that is 10 times better than his Knicks. Jeremy turns the ball over too much in the first half of every game.
ReplyDeleteThe turnovers will eventually hurt this team, especially down April stretch. People make excuses about officiating. Kings used to get bad calls all the time, which cost them many games that could have helped them to move past the Lakers.
The Knicks are not an elite team. They have a long way to go to reach that pinnacle. I give Lin credit for putting the Knicks back on the map. Nonetheless, Lin will need to reduce his turnover rate or the Knicks will get blown out in the first round.
Lin has been playing for less than a month. Wade, James and the rest of the Heat have experience. They paid their dues. Lin is essentially a noob in the NBA world. I give Lin credit for realizing that playing in the NBA has its ups and downs.
Injuries usually deliver excellent talent (i.e. Brad). The Knicks will lose more games. Luckily, the Knicks are not experiencing the Webber effect that jarred Sac in 2004.
How many elite teams are there currently in the NBA? The Heat, Thunder, the Bulls. Maybe the Nuggets, the Mavericks and the Lakers (if they're having a good day). So does that mean if you don't play these teams and beat them soundly, you're achievments count for nothing? Why bother with a season then, if all the other teams are totally useless? It baffles me how people constantly go about Jeremy *finally* meeting an elite team and getting found out. I guess the Lakers and the Mavericks weren't good enough opponents. Even though you can only beat the opponent in front of you. It's such a silly thing to say.
ReplyDeleteStephen A Smith is a flat out racist. He's ridiculous for claiming that the n-word is offensive because it has a racial history, but for the c-word people need to stop being so sensitive. He has NO place to judge what is or is not offensive to Asian Americans.
ReplyDeleteHe's also a a complete a-hole for being so giddy that Lin played poorly last night. He's hated on Lin the entire time, even after 11 amazing games Stephen A was unconvinced, and now he's saying Lin was exposed after game 12 in 16 days. Stephen A is basically a black bigot.
Just tune Screamin' A. Smith out. He's a clown. He's from the Louis Farrakhan school. He's lucky he's black. Otherwise, he'd be fired by now.
DeleteScreaming Stephen is just the tag team buddy of Skip Bayless at BSPN. They are both media idiots, whose primary function is to run their mouths and stir up shit--all the while generating higher ratings and more viewers for BSPN, the World Wide Leader in Hype.
DeleteI'm glad someone else saw the 10min Rant by sa smith. The subject was about ethnic insensitivity regarding J Lin and he turned it into a diatribe about the black oppression and how much he loves the black community. Talk about a SPIN move! The big gorilla in the room was the double standard for blacks vs asians. Not about over sensitivity. I watched sa smith for the last few days. When J lin had his excellent game against the Mav's, there was no real praise for his game. But as soon as he had a bad game, (i'm talking like 2 hrs later) he posted a video where he's "giddy" as hell over the poor play. And talk about Lin being "exposed." Yes the shots didn't fall for Lin that night but I thought he had decent looks. Quite unlike him to miss wide open shots like he did. I don't think anything is exposed. Lin just has a bad night.
DeleteBut as far as these racists who hide behind their pro-black banners...
It's better to be color blind than pro-black or even pro-asian. But we'll never get there when racism from one group of people are blatantly overlooked. I'm just tired of the double standards.
Dana White of UFC actually spoke out against Mayweather on this. Loved it. I only wish Yao Ming would have said those word....LOL that will never happen.
here is the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TwYEnMFniA
The whole thing that Steven A Smith said was during a show on ESPN -- his employer. This was immediately after ESPN got in trouble for the "Chink in the Armor" headline. His comments on the oversensitivity of the C-word should be thrown out. Just remember that he is not willing to put his career on the line for his asian brothers.
DeleteExcellent article on Jeremy and how it is hard work that got him to where he's at.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mercurynews.com/jeremy-lin/ci_20033514?source=rss
He's smart enough to ignore the hype, good or bad and just keep developing his game. He has the opportunity of a lifetime and knows it.
Let's go Knicks, turn this thing around after the AS Break, much faith!!!!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Knicks need to make a few lineup changes.
ReplyDeleteWith Lin, I'd start Shumpert at SG. That would give the Knicks a badly needed dose of backcourt quickness alongside Lin. Shumpert can dribble the ball past the halfcourt line when Lin is trapped in the backcourt.
Stoudemire is getting lost in the offensive shuffle. I'd start him for his ego, but I'd rapidly sub him out in the 1st quarter for Jeffries (defense) or Novak (offense). Then I'd bring him back at center for most of the 2nd quarter especially when Tyson Chandler gets in foul trouble.
Landry Fields would be my 6th man. He would play all over the court. I don't know if he can dribble, but he might not need to if he's comig off the bench.
I'd also try putting Toney Douglas aside Lin. I think Douglas can contribute a lot now that Lin is the starter. Make no mistake, Douglas can play especially at off guard off the bench.
Lin has been strictly a pg for the Knicks. However, all star pgs play a little bit off the ball every game. I would like to see the Knicks play Lin at off guard with the steady Mike Bibby feeding him the ball in spot minutes.
The Knicks are learning each other now that Lin's dominance has completely changed the team.
I like where you are going with adding Shumpert to the backcourt with Jeremy. I see Shumpert as being the Knicks' best option to shutdown the other teams's hottest guard or SF. Jeremy is a good defender too, but with the amount of energy he expends at the offensive end I would put him on a less strenuous role on defense. Plus, I think his help defense is one of his strengths which translates to fast break points for his team.
DeleteAmare is a bit of a liability on the court. He's having trouble keeping up with younger players. He'd be great against the other team's second unit though.
I think the Knicks's depth (and the crazy schedule this season) also lends to the idea of using the bench more.
1st unit: Lin, Shumpert, Melo, Jeffries, Chandler
2nd unit: Baron, JRSmith, Fields/Novak, Harrellson, Amare
It doesn't need to be like hockey with line changes or anything, but I think the Knicks are gifted in their depth. They can use it to their advantage with this grueling season.
Another thing to mention is that the first unit doesn't need to be the one with the great +/-. Maybe the Knicks make their biggest gains when their bench is on the court against the other team's bench.
I haven't watched that many Knicks games, but the ones I've seen since Jeremy's breakout, I haven't been impressed with Shump's offense. I'd like to see the dual PG lineup that's really popular these days: Baron, Lin, Melo, Amare, Chandler. At least try it out...Baron is looking better than I thought he would.
DeleteNo doubt that Lin had his worse game yet, but Stat and Mello didn't play like superstars either. I think coach D should use Stat on the pick n roll every possession instead of Chandler on the high pick. Through out the game, especially 2nd half, Stat basically just stood at the far corner almost every possession without touching the ball. He looked like he wasn't even in the game during that stretch. C'mon guys, brother Lin can't do it by himself.
ReplyDeleteI agree. A talented defense will know when to cheat on their assignments and go for the double team. If Melo and especially Amare can't keep their defenders honest and make them pay for doubling Lin, then they are not doing their jobs. Superstars are supposed to demand double teams. If Melo and Amare pick up their games, the other teams will have to pick their poison. I like the Knicks chances once they figure things out.
DeleteOk, so Jeremy Lin had a bad game. Anyone who knows the game could see this coming and not surprising... No problem. Here are the positives:
ReplyDelete1. He competed out there- he wasn't intimidated by Wade or Lebron...He was trying to rip the ball from them many times and he looked strong defensively. One time he was standing next to Wade and they looked the exact same height. Lin just looked like he belonged on that court - this is suttle but important.
2. He handled the media postgame and during the game very well. He never got frustrated or started crying to the refs or making excuses afterword. He praised the Heat and he said all the right things. AS MLK said, judge a man in times of adversity rather than in times of comfort. Lin took responsibility and was a man about it.
3. Lin's shots were all very close, rolling around rim before coming out....missing by inches on long 3's...he was just a little off and he got to the free throw line several times because of his attacking mentality. If just a couple of those shots rolled in, he may have gotten on track and had a better game. It happens.
Ok now the not so good or the things he needs to work on:
1. I said in a post on here yesterday before the game that Chalmers would be poking at the ball all night and he sure did and he got it several times. Jeremy has to become meaner with the ball and not let guys take it from him. When guys like Chalmers and Cole get up and press you as a ball handler..that is the ultimate disrespect to a guard. They're basically saying you can't handle the ball and I'm going to take it from you (which they did). Point guard shouldn't need a big man screen to bring ball up the floor against pressure. Once in a while to take a guy out you can do that...but PG has to be able to handle the ball and be strong with it. Seems like Lin dribbles the ball too high and doesn't have tempo on the ball (speed of the dribble going up and down from the floor). That ball should be a bullet bouncing up and down so guy can't poke it out - if he reaches you have to go by the guy and make him pay for gambling like that. Jeremy needs to get his dribble faster/stronger. And when the other guard starts to disrespect you like that you have to go and poke and steal it from him right back. It's competitive thing...show you will not back down from personal challenge....Jeremy has to learn to not let players disrespect him on court like that.
speaking of height, when I saw JR Smith guarding D-wade, there's no way JR is his listed 6 ft, 6 in.
DeleteMaybe he was wearing heels :P
DeleteIt's humorous to read the armchair fan comments that all Lin needs to do is "attack the basket", "keep his dribble", "play with more confidence", "don't play scared".
ReplyDeleteThe Knicks were overwhelmed by the #1 team in the league who were determined to shut down Lin as if he were Kobe. If Lin did those above things, he would have turned the ball over even more and hurt the team more. You don't magically play better just because you have confidence. (Look at Baron, he looked very confident when he took all his shots, but he was 0-7).
People's expectations got out of hand. The Heat were the #1 team in the league, had 3 Olympians, were favored by 10 pts, and beat their previous 7 opponents by an average of ~15pts. Meanwhile, the Knicks had lost 2 of their last 4 to NO and NJ, 2 of the worst teams in the league. Carmelo hasn't played like an Olympian or All-Star this year yet. Sure, they beat LA and Dallas, but those 2 are formerly elite teams who are struggling this year.
Was it possible for the Knicks to win? Yes. Was it likely? No, it was very unlikely. It was a good learning experience for Lin, he will bounce back and be even better as a result.
horrible game for JLin. Carmelo Anthony showed how overrated he is with a terrible game as well, but it wasn't quite as poor as Lin's overall results.
ReplyDeleteJLinfan#1, if you have a chance to ask Lin in Orlando about his conditioning, can you have him elaborate on his routine in New York (no Sparta Science, not many Denny's in the local area)? Now that Lin will be with the Knicks for the rest of the season, where in the NY area does he try to eat after practices to make sure he stays strong and can play heavy minutes as a starter (do his teammates have the same routines).
PLEASE. NO BIBBY.
ReplyDeleteHey, it was an epic letdown, but we still have the rest of the season for our guys to figure it out. lebron, bosh, wade, chalmers and haslem have had all of last year and this year to become as dominant as they are. our guys have only had 2 games of a healthy roster so far. just be patient. the dude went to harvard, he'll figure out the formula soon enough.
Yes you are right. No Bibby.
DeleteWhen I am wrong, I admit it. Thanks.
I can't stand how some analysts were just waiting !for JLin to have a bad game so they can say "I told you he wasn't that good." Give the kid a break already! If it weren't for him the Knicks wouldn't even be remotely close to being 500. right now!
ReplyDeletehahaha KHuang. you are SELDOM wrong. if people paid attention to these "analysts" linsanity would never have happened. let's thank God and all the supporters of Jeremy for not succumbing to prejudicial judgement and actually basing their judgement on facts and truth.
ReplyDeletebtw, my theory on amare is that he's still grieving. not to mention that he returned to florida last night not long after his brother died and the all star game is being held in orlando. he's obviously not completely himself right now. He'll play through it, and get that unstoppable swagger after the mourning period. The knicks are his family also, and even in the face of a solid defeat like the one the Heat handed the knicks, our guys are still unified and have faith in each other. Stephen A. Smith can kiss my azz
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Lin play SG with Baron Davis at PG. I think that would unleash Lin's true NBA position. What has become more and more apparent (or reinforced, for fans who've followed him since Harvard) is that Jeremy Lin isn't a pure point guard. Lin is a smart, versatile combo guard. He has enough skills to back up the PG in limited minutes, but his passing and ball-handling ability simply aren't up to running the point full-time.
ReplyDeleteLin's game reminds me a lot of Jeff Hornacek, who was a well-regarded, smart, versatile "third" guard on the Suns and Sixers who failed when they tried him at starting PG. Hornacek eventually flourished as the starting SG playing alongside the excellent Stockton-to-Malone 90s Jazz teams. In a 2010 interview, Lin compared his game to Goran Dragic, another Hornacek-type combo guard.
I believe the best role for Jeremy Lin is at SG, playing off the ball and attacking from the wing, with limited minutes running the offense at PG. Though he's impressed with his court vision and floor game, Lin seems most comfortable and effective attacking and scoring. My advice to D'Antoni: give Jeremy time with Baron at the point, get Lin moving and attacking, and let's see what happens.
Eric I def agree with you there.
DeleteJeff Hornacek's "failed run" as a pg with Phx was so bad that he averaged 21 points and became an All Star.
DeleteHornacek continued his superb play in Philadelphia alongside Hersey Hawkins at SG (another fine combo guard). Unfortunately, Tim Perry left his game in Phx and Andrew Lang forgot how to play after the Barkley trade.
Hornacek received more visibility from playing in the Finals with the Jazz, but he was not the dynamic player he was in Phx and Philly. Age had finally caught up to him in Utah.
I watched a lot of Hornacek and see no similarities to Lin whasoever. Hornacek was mainly a jump shooter who excelled at shooting floaters after creating space with a small bump. He could create shots for himself, but he could not really create shots for others. Hornacek was pretty much just a scorer, as he was barely serviceable in other aspects of the game.
Lin, on the other hand, is a much more physical and athletic player. Unlike Hornacek who tended to shy away from physical matchups at his position and in the paint, Lin will bull his way through people. Lin does not have Hornacek's touch from the perimeter, but he's far more well rounded than Hornacek was.
Lin is a physically bullying sort of point guard who would be far more of an athletic pest if he got more rest. I just wish he could get some pointers from the Jeremy Lin of the 1980s, Micheal "Sugar" Ray Richardson whose game is identical to Lin's.
Kevin Johnson was the starting PG when Hornacek played with the Suns. Hornacek only played PG full-time with the 76ers.
DeleteHornacek was the listed SG but actually played both guard positions. Nor did he "fail" in Phx or Philly. Besides, Kevin Johnson was a shoot first PG who wasn't much of a setup man.
DeleteThat was a nice Suns team with Tom Chambers in his prime, Mark West and Andrew Lang at center, and Tim Perry and.Armon Gilliam at forwards. Thunder Dan Majerle was a high flying dunker back then, not a 3 point specialist.
That team needed low post scoring. They got it in the Barkley trade.
Hence the comparison of Lin and Hornacek as smart versatile combo guards who can play some point, but shouldn't be full-time PGs.
DeleteI think Lin is doing just fine as a full time PG.
DeleteI know that Lin will tighten up the dribbling and TOs with time. If he solved those issues, he'll become the best pg jn the entire NBA.
"I'd like to see Lin play SG with Baron Davis at PG. I think that would unleash Lin's true NBA position. What has become more and more apparent (or reinforced, for fans who've followed him since Harvard) is that Jeremy Lin isn't a pure point guard."
ReplyDeleteThat's definitely an interesting scenario that people have been bringing up. In my opinion, that would be a good alternative to try out when things aren't working. It's true that Lin's ballhandling is not the greatest, and you could say that he's not a pure/natural point guard.
But the game has changed, and there are very few pure PGs left in the game. Most of the PGs these days are score-first players who run the offense, like Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, John Wall, Westbrook. So I think Lin belongs as PG in today's NBA.
You know what? Jlin...this cat is THE original. He's a whatever you need at that moment guard. Hell, he'll post up at center of that's what is needed. The point I'm trying to make is that he's effective no matter where you put him. Only thing holding him back is game experience and conditioning...oh, and a comfortable couch
ReplyDeleteYou know what? Jlin...this cat is THE original. He's a whatever you need at that moment guard. Hell, he'll post up at center of that's what is needed. The point I'm trying to make is that he's effective no matter where you put him. Only thing holding him back is game experience and conditioning...oh, and a comfortable couch
ReplyDeleteSo nice, I said it twice!
ReplyDeleteYou know what? Jlin...this cat is THE original. He's a whatever you need at that moment guard. Hell, he'll post up at center of that's what is needed. The point I'm trying to make is that he's effective no matter where you put him. Only thing holding him back is game experience and conditioning...oh, and a comfortable couch
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, I posted that Lin needed a NBA mentor like Gary Payton.
ReplyDeleteIt turns out that Lin's had already done that. Lin worked out with Payton on the spin dribble.
Payton is a hard personality who won't concede anything to anybody. That makes him the ideal mentor for Lin. I would love for Lin to train more under Payton and endure some more trashtalking.
For Lin to survive in the NBA, he has to develop more of that cocky attitude that Payton tried to teach him. He has to attack his opponents, not let them come to him.
If Payton doesn't work out, Sugar Ray will in Oklahoma. Sugar is a great minor league coach and likely can help Lin as least as much as Payton can.